Comment period deadline for Route 30 reconstruction set for Sept. 15

Residents interested in submitting comments on the proposed Route 30 reconstruction project have until Sept. 15 to do so.

The $18.5 million project, which has received two Town Meeting approvals, aims to widen the road, create a 10-foot shared-use pedestrian path and update the drainage along a 3.7 mile stretch of Route 30 from the Natick town line to the intersection at Cutters Buff Road.

The Traffic and Sidewalk Committee held two listening sessions in May, where residents had a chance to examine the 75% design plans.

At a previous meeting, the committee decided to prolong the comment period because of member turnover. Two members, Ann Wiedie and Richard Gula, decided not to seek reappointment.

The Select Board appointed Olga Aginsky and Lee Crockett to the committee on July 14.

As previously reported in the Weston Observer, some residents are concerned that the original plan, which included a 5-foot-wide sidewalk along the corridor, has been changed to meet requirements by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation to keep the project on the state and federally-funded Transportation Improvement Plan.

Design funding for $938,000 was approved in 2018 and an additional funding request of $600,000 for the new design was approved in 2024.

The Committee will send a memo regarding public comments to the Select Board, which will determine whether or not the project advances to the next development stage.

Residents can send comments to the traffic and sidewalk committee by emailing [email protected].